The Daily Mail says Bayer Leverkusen would have been the perfect fit for relaunching the 50-year old Scot’s managerial career after the shock of being sacked just 10 months into his Old Trafford tenure.

But Leverkusen’s board have ruled him out on grounds of price and profile.

They want a younger coach in the mould of Borussia Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp and are unwilling to pay any more than £1.2million a year for the right man.